


Apparitionists

by ooopo123



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe - Ancient Greek Religion & Lore Fusion, Alternate Universe - Cults, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Body Horror, Cults, Gen, Goddesses, Horror, Inaccurate Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Inspired by the Legend of Pandora's Box (Ancient Greek Religion & Lore), Lovecraftian, Psychological Horror, References to Ancient Greek Religion & Lore, Religious Cults, Short Story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-01
Updated: 2019-06-01
Packaged: 2020-04-05 23:46:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19050937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ooopo123/pseuds/ooopo123
Summary: The misted world above Isla reached a crescendo. Searingly hot water forced its way past Isla’s lips; rushing down her throat as she silently screamed.





	Apparitionists

**Author's Note:**

> WARNINGS: Lovecraftian horror, body horror, cults

Heavy breathing filled the room, mingling into steam, smothering the air. It was suffocating in there. She was suffocating in here.

Mist swirled mid-air; forming shapes in the heat lamp’s beam. Forming hands and eyes; mouths and teeth. They were watching her. Laughing. Chanting. Cursing. Cursing her again. As if she hadn’t already paid for their conceited game.

Blood seeped from between the tiles of the walls; of the floor, pulsating in time with the heartbeat beneath the bathtub. Twisting in its frame, the bathroom door shivered. Slowly the sink tap dripped, the water sap-like as it stuck together, hanging from the spout’s toothy grin. 

Isla clamped shut her eyes. Above her, the light flickered; sight from behind her eyelids spasming rapidly. She covered her eyes with her hands. Bathwater rose around her of its own accord, climbing up her exposed skin like a million tiny volcanic claws. 

From beyond the door, a screeching yowling started; drawing closer and closer until it felt as if her ears were to bleed. A scratching started at the door, a terrible cacophony of scratching and yowling; wailing and howling.

_She couldn’t take it anymore!_

Throwing herself forward, Isla succumbed to the rage of the water, dunking herself under completely; unheeding of her skin’s screaming as it reddened. Chaos reigned above, outside of the water, a kingdom of oppressive screeching and steam invading every miniscule crevice possible.

The misted world above Isla reached a crescendo. Searingly hot water forced its way past Isla’s lips; rushing down her throat as she silently screamed. 

Then, all at once, it stopped. Something settled itself into the water, into her hair, and the world around her turned cold as the Winter sea.

Isla broke the surface with a gasp; trying to cough up the arctic water in her lungs. Above, the bathroom light was emanating a blue glow, the sink tap’s drip, drip, drip of water echoed softly throughout the room.

No longer did the tiles bleed, or the door breathe; the water was pure and there was a gentle cat purring from within the hall. The biggest difference, however, was the woman standing in front of her. Or, well, the impression of a woman.

Around her whirled the steam of which was once so oppressing, now bundled up and stroked like an old feline friend. Her flesh flickered, transparent, impressionistic organs beating in time with the heart in Isla’s throat. Outstretched was this woman’s hand, fondly running its way through Isla’s hair; Isla suppressed the shivers crawling up her spine.

“ _My child._ ” The woman’s words drifted languidly, “ _My dear, sweet, **child.** I have freed you for this night, and for all nights, from my devotees’ curse._” Isla stared, uncomprehendingly, at the woman. Before understanding finally dawned.

“You’re-.” Voice stuck itself in her throat, strangling and weakening Isla’s words as they tried helplessly yo escape. “You’re... Apate?” The woman, Apate, grinned; as she did her teeth were shown clearly, no longer muddled my her semi-translucent skin. Incisors, canines and premolars shone, impossibly sharp; as if ready to be pulled out, and stuck in someone's back.

“ _I am so **glad** you recognise me, child. Although, after all my devotees did to you, it would certainly be hard to forget._” Hurriedly, Isla moved aside in the bathtub as Apate made her way forward, stepping into the confined space herself. Her clawed feet sliding into the water caused no ripples, only a hushed clicking as they touched down upon the porcelain. “ _But, the real question here is: Who do **you** think you are?_”

Confusion flooded Isla’s mind, sneaking past her discomfort of being so close to this unnatural looking being. Was Apate asking who she was? The answer, nor even the question itself, were clear, but Isla decided to play along. For it would do her no good to anger this woman, this honest to God goddess.

“I’m… Isla?” With all the subtlety of a charging bull, Apate through her head back and laughed. Isla was greeted with full, unobstructed view of Apate’s neck, and watched in horror as near everything vibrated and rolled around inside of her skin.

“No, my child.” In a disturbingly boneless movement, Apate rolled her head forward once again. She crouched in front of the scared mortal, her knees bending backwards as she did so. “No, your name may be Isla, but that is not who you are.” Distressingly gnarled fingers brushed themselves across Isla’s cheek.

“ _You are mine, Isla. Not like my devotees are mine. But **mine** and mine alone._”

_**You are, and are to be, my disciple.** _

**Author's Note:**

> Written for my English Writing 3 portfolio. I'm including the context statement for those of you who may be interested.  
> -  
> CONTEXT STATEMENT:  
>  Apparitionists, named for the cultists who worship Apate (the Greek goddess/personification of fraud, deceit, trickery, deception and guile.). My intention for Apparitionists was for it to be a horror-style Swan Lake-esque story; Isla being afflicted by a curse causing her to hallucinate during the day and going back to normal during the night.  
>  Apparitionists was written to follow several of the important rules that come alongside writing an impactful short story: the entirety of the story takes place over the limited timeframe of 30 to 60 minutes, a particularly long bath; there are only two main characters, Isla and Apate, with the cultists acting as background antagonists; action in the story moves swiftly, containing the story to under 800 words; past tense is strictly used; and the plot of the story, Isla being cursed by the cult of Apate, is simple and non-complicated.  
>  Similar to my last piece, Sappho & Areia, Apparitionists focuses on a goddess/human relationship; although this instance being a fair bit more threatening. Both pieces share the aspect of going into detail about the appearance of the goddesses but not the humans, as it is assumed that respondents would know what a human usually looks like, but maybe not my imagining of the visage of a goddess.


End file.
